Grizzlies

Grizzlies 106 - Lakers 98 (final) The Memphis Grizzlies emerged Friday as the best team in the NBA with a 9-2 record, defeating the Lakers 106-98. The New York Knicks lost their second straight game to fall to 8-3. The Grizzlies had all five starters in double figures, led by Rudy Gay's 19 and Mike Conley's 19. They shot 50.7% from the field and out-rebounded the Lakers 39-28. For the second game in a row, the Lakers did not get much out of Dwight Howard (seven points, four boards)

Michael Heisley Billionaire businessman moved NBA's Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis Michael Heisley, 77, a billionaire businessman who moved the NBA's Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis and made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Dodgers in 2012, died Saturday, the Grizzlies said. Heisley, who sold his basketball team before the start of the 2012-13 season, suffered a stroke last year. Co-founder of The Heico Companies, Heisley was a computer salesman who parlayed investments in underperforming businesses into a corporation with interests in food production, heavy equipment, pre-engineered metal buildings and other industries.

The Clippers' first appearance in the NBA playoffs since 2006 couldn't have gotten off to a worse start for them. It couldn't have had a better finish. They fell behind by 18 points in the first quarter and later trailed by as many as 27. Then Nick Young and the Clippers changed identities. They had been ineffective inside and out for 3 1/2 quarters but went on dramatic run to put themselves in position to eventually win, 99-98, in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.

The Memphis Grizzlies (48-32) had everything to play for Sunday night, still battling to hold onto the final available postseason berth with the Phoenix Suns (47-33) still a threat, and pulled away in the second half to defeat the Lakers, 102-90. The Lakers (25-55) had every reason to lose. Following two consecutive wins from the Boston Celtics (25-55) and a Monday night meeting in Utah against the Jazz (24-56), the Lakers have a chance to climb to the fourth position in the NBA's draft lottery.

1. Can the Lakers finally correct their road struggles? Sorry for being redundant, but the Lakers have yet to solve a season-long problem. Their 7-14 road record featured two losses last week against Eastern Conference basement-dwellers in Detroit and Washington. Of course, part of the blame pointed to a lack of focus and letting up after holding double-digit leads. Memphis, which has won eight of its last 10 and holds a No. 4 playoff seed, should inspire the Lakers to play with more urgency.

Memphis 111, at Boston 91: Rudy Gay scored 28 points as the Grizzlies picked up their franchise-record seventh straight road win. at San Antonio 97, New York 87: Manu Ginobili scored 28 points in the Spurs' win over the Knicks, who are assured of a team-record ninth straight losing season. at Oklahoma City 98, New Orleans 83: Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Russell Westbrook added 17 points and came up just shy of a triple-double for the Thunder. Utah 115, at Detroit 104: Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists for the Jazz, which posted its 10th straight victory over the Pistons.

Grizzlies 75, Clippers 69 (end of third quarter) MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Chris Paul is keeping the Clippers in the game, pretty much all by himself. He has 23 points and has made nine of 13 shots, including all three of his shots from beyond the arc. If the Clippers win, Paul will deserve about 99.5% of the credit, and that's a conservative estimate. The Grizzlies started playing their patented "grit-and-grind style" of defense, mucking up the Clippers' offensive possessions and forcing them into turnovers.

The Clippers, making their first appearance in the NBA playoffs since 2006, looked like it in the early going of Game 1 of their opening playoff series against Memphis, falling behind quickly and trailing the Grizzlies, 34-16, after the first quarter. The Grizzlies shot 65%; the Clippers less than half that. It was at least as one-sided as the score indicated. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 10 points. For the Clippers, Caron Butler made two three-pointers for six points, but no other Clipper had more than three points.

The Memphis Grizzlies got everything working; the Clippers got nothing going and Memphis held on to a 58-39 lead at halftime of their playoff game at Memphis. The perfect exclamation point to the half came as the clock expired for the second quarter, with Marc Gasol getting a lob pass and dunking the ball for the 19-point lead. Memphis finished the quarter on an 8-0 run. Gasol led the Grizzlies with 14 points in the first half. No Clippers starter had more than Caron Butler's eight points.

Here are four reasons the Grizzlies would give the Lakers a competitive playoff series. 1. Defense. Memphis suddenly exposed what Metta World Peace called the "glitch in the Matrix" in the Lakers' 102-96 loss Sunday to the Grizzlies. He didn't explain what that was, but the Lakers' recently improved offensive efficiency since Ramon Sessions' arrival came crashing down. Everyone outside Andrew Bynum shot less than 50% from the field. Memphis forced 16 turnovers. Tony Allen made Kobe Bryant work hard for 18 points.

The Lakers (25-54) will finish their regular-season home schedule as they host the Memphis Grizzlies (47-32) on Sunday night at Staples Center. Fifteen of 16 teams have locked in playoff positions. The Grizzlies are in eighth place in the Western Conference, hoping to hold on to the final postseason berth. The Phoenix Suns (47-33) are just half a game behind the Grizzlies. Memphis owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, but the Grizzlies visit the Suns on Monday night. Should the Lakers and Suns both beat the Grizzlies, Phoenix would overtake Memphis in the standings.

The Lakers gave out gas cards, fast-food coupons and casino getaways on fan appreciation night. They couldn't give their fans a victory, much like the rest of the season. The Memphis Grizzlies needed a win to help stay in playoff contention and got it, 102-90, Sunday at Staples Center. BOX SCORE: Grizzlies 102, Lakers 90 The Lakers (25-55) added to their most losses ever and finished 14-27 at home, their worst home record in 66 seasons of the franchise's existence.

Lakers tonight VS. MEMPHIS When: 6:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: TWC SportsNet, TWC Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 25-54, Grizzlies 47-32. Record vs. Grizzlies: 1-2. Update: Memphis is fighting Phoenix and Dallas for seventh place in the Western Conference. The Lakers and Grizzlies have had three close games, Memphis winning by five and three points while the Lakers won by four. - Mike Bresnahan

After a lackluster first half, the Lakers rallied against the Memphis Grizzlies but it wasn't enough to steal a victory on the road. Playing their second game on back-to-back nights, the Lakers fell behind by as many as 22 points before rallying to within three, 106-103, with 14.9 seconds left on a long Jordan Farmar three-point shot. In the final moments, Courtney Lee hit a pair of free throws and Wesley Johnson missed a wild three-point attempt as the Lakers fell, 108-103. Jodie Meeks was the game's leading scorer with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Six Lakers hit double figures, including Johnson (18)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Another loss was swallowed up by the theatrics surrounding it, a common theme nowadays for the Lakers. Coach Mike D'Antoni didn't necessarily disagree with Pau Gasol's dour thoughts on the Lakers' offense. Yes, there had been too much one-on-one action. But D'Antoni definitely didn't like Gasol sharing his opinion publicly. "The thing I just don't appreciate, and I think every coach [too], you just keep it in house," D'Antoni said Wednesday before the Lakers lost to Memphis, 108-103.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies have a history of playing intense, tough, hard-nosed basketball games, during both the regular season and playoffs. That was the case again Friday night, the teams playing down to the wire and the Clippers coming up short in a 102-96 loss to the Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. To make matters worse for the Clippers, All-Star guard point Chris Paul suffered a sprained right thumb late in the fourth quarter while trying to get a rebound against Marc Gasol.

With the Grizzlies making three-point shots look as easy as layups, Memphis continued to humble the Clippers in Game 1 of their playoff series, taking an 85-64 lead going into the fourth quarter at Memphis. The Grizzlies have been imposing their will through three quarters offensively and defensively; the Clippers have been unable to get any inside game going and their outside game has not been nearly good enough to compensate for that. An ineffective Blake Griffin committed his third foul, on a trip while setting a pick, at the start of the third quarter, which was hardly the way the Clippers wanted him to become more involved.

Before taking the court against the Houston Rockets (45-36) on Wednesday night, the Lakers (44-37) clinched a playoff berth when the Grizzlies (56-26) defeated the Utah Jazz (43-39) in Memphis, 86-70. Power forward Zach Randolph had 25 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to the victory, which eliminated the Jazz from postseason contention. Center Al Jefferson had 22 points and 16 rebounds to lead Utah. Win or lose against the Rockets, the Lakers have qualified for the postseason.